Wpf Styling

name: wpf-styling description: Define and evolve WPF XAML styling for the widget host app: control styles, templates, visual states, typography, and theme variants. Use when working in App.xaml, theme dictionaries, Styles/*.xaml, or control templates to achieve the Fluent-inspired design system with Light/Dark themes.

Wpf Styling

Overview

Standardize WPF styling and theming so views stay lean and visuals remain consistent across the shell and widget windows.

Constraints

• Native WPF styles/templates (no WinUI/Windows App SDK)
• Fluent-inspired design system
• Light/Dark themes via ResourceDictionaries
• .NET 8 app

Definition of done (DoD)

• No hardcoded colors in view XAML (use theme brushes)
• New controls use existing base styles or extend them
• Typography uses defined text styles (Body, Title, Caption)
• Both Light and Dark themes tested visually
• Styles organized: typography in Typography.xaml, controls in Controls.xaml, colors in Themes/*.xaml

Workflow

1. Identify the target style: base control style, derived variant, or template.
2. Check existing theme/typography resources before creating new ones.
3. Add/adjust styles in Styles/*.xaml and keep theme colors in Themes/*.xaml.
4. Keep view XAML clean by using keyed styles and implicit styles when safe.

Style structure

• Styles/Typography.xaml for fonts, sizes, weights.
• Styles/Controls.xaml for base control styles.
• Themes/Light.xaml and Themes/Dark.xaml for brushes only.

Control templates and visual states

• Use VisualStateManager only when state transitions are needed.
• Prefer triggers and setters for simple states.
• Keep templates small and parameterize via brushes and thickness resources.

Typography

• Define a small set of text styles (Body, Title, Caption).
• Apply styles via resource keys to avoid duplicating font settings.

References

• references/typography.md for font scales and text styles.
• references/control-styles.md for base button/textbox/list styles.
• references/theme-brushes.md for Light/Dark resource keys.